#1 According to a survey that was just released, 76 percent of all Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. But most Americans are acting as if their jobs will always be there. But the truth is that mass layoffs can occur at any time. In fact, it just happened at one of the largest law firms in New York City.#227 percent of all Americans do not have even a single penny saved up.#346 percent of all Americans have $800 or less saved up.#4 Less than one out of every four Americans has enough money stored away to cover six months of expenses.#5 Wages continue to fall even as the cost of living continues to go up. Today, the average income for the bottom 90 percent of all income earners in America is just $31,244. An increasing percentage of American families are just trying to find a way to survive from month to month.#6 62 percent of all middle class Americans say that they have had to reduce household spending over the past year.#7 Small business is becoming an endangered species in America. In fact, only about 7 percent of all non-farm workers in the United States are self-employed at this point. That means that the vast majority of Americans are depending on someone else to provide them with an income. But what is going to happen as those jobs disappear?#8 In 1989, the debt to income ratio of the average American family was about 58 percent. Today it is up to154 percent.#9 Today, a higher percentage of Americans are dependent on the government than ever before. In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau 49 percent of all Americans live in a home that gets direct monetary benefits from the federal government. So what is going to happen when the government handout gravy train comes to an end?#10 Back in the 1970s, about one out of every 50 Americans was on food stamps. Today, about one out of every 6.5 Americans is on food stamps.#11 It is estimated that less than 10 percent of the U.S. population owns any gold or silver for investment purposes.#12 It has been estimated that there are approximately 3 million "preppers" in the United States. But that means that almost everyone else is not prepping.#1344 percent of all Americans do not have first-aid kits in their homes.#1448 percent of all Americans do not have any emergency supplies stored up.#1553 percent of all Americans do not have a 3 day supply of nonperishable food and water in their homes.#16 One survey asked Americans how long they thought they would survive if the electrical grid went down for an extended period of time. Incredibly, 21 percent said that they would survive for less than a week, an additional 28 percent said that they would survive for less than two weeks, and nearly 75 percent said that they would be dead before the two month mark.#17 According to a survey conducted by the Adelphi University Center for Health Innovation, 55 percent of Americans believe that the government will come to their rescue when disaster strikes.